Featured Advice

Careers rarely develop the way we plan them. Our career path often takes many twists and turns, with particular events, choices and people influencing our direction.

We asked Lynsey Gargan from Smart Futures to give some advice for people considering this job:

With regard to education I say don't worry if you think you have the wrong subjects in school. I certainly didn't have the subjects you would typically expect.

There are a number of courses that cater to different backgrounds. The most important thing is to do your research. Go to open days, talk to the colleges and generally just find out what exactly you would be getting in to.

Don't just take for granted you know what a certain course or career is all about. Think about what you like to do, and not just necessarily in school, if you find yourself being curious about how things work or how thing are made, it's a good indication that you could like something like engineering.

One of the best things about engineering is that it really can be your passport to the world. There are great travel opportunities within the industry and chances to be involved in the next big thing.

Practically every man-made product around you came from a manufacturing plant, it's a huge industry with a lot of different avenues to take. Innovation is a really big part of what engineers do. The desire to be creative and improve production and processes is an important attribute for a manufacturing engineer.

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Self Assessment

What are your interests?

Naturalist?

Not surprisingly, some aspect of the natural sciences will run through the Naturalist's interests - from ecological awareness to nutrition and health. People with an interest in horticulture, land usage and farming (including fish) are Naturalists.

Some Naturalists focus on animals rather than plants, and may enjoy working with, training, caring for, or simply herding them. Other Naturalists will prefer working with the end result of nature's produce - the food produced from plants and animals. Naturalists like solving problems with solutions that show some sensitivity to the environmental impact of what they do. They like to see practical results and prefer action to talking and discussing.

Media

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CareersPortal @ School

CareersPortal provides all the tools you need to help you find and develop your career. We believe you deserve the best, and encourage you to spend time discovering what makes you different and unique, so you can build your own future.

Here you will find links to our Junior Certificate, Transition Year and Leaving Certificate pages. Select the programme which is relevant to you and make use of the resources we have developed to guide you in exploring your future.

Junior Cert

Discover how Junior Cert subjects prepare you for your career, take our Study Skills test, and check out Subject Choices for Leaving Cert.

Transition Year

Get prepared for your Work Experience and discover the World of Work. Explore the skills you need for a successful career.

Discover Careers...

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Career Chat...

Luke Drea, Event Rider

Luke Drea is a 3 Day Event Rider who is Self Employed. He left school before the the Leaving Cert exams to study in Kildalton Agricultural and Horticultural College in Kilkenny, where he completed the Sport Horse Production course. During his Transition year in school he took a year out to work with horses and did the British Horse Society stage I & 2 exams.